It's common knowledge that solo albums are simply an excuse for a frustrated band member to indulge their experimental sides and Rob Thomas, singer for decidedly M.O.R. multi-platinum rockers Matchbox Twenty is not one to pass on the opportunity. Having already explored the classic rock thing through his collaborations with Mick Jagger and Santana, Thomas goes the other way here with results that are unexpected and, sometimes, totally unbelievable. He veers from modern R&B on the Justin Timberlake aping "Lonely No More" to vintage prog-rock in "All That I Am," touching on all points in between. There are a few nods to the Matchbox canon with "Ever The Same" and "This Is How A Heart Breaks" but, as the title suggests, this is an album about finding himself. For the moment, Thomas is still searching. The DualDisc portion features 5.1 surround sound, a 20-minute documentary on the making of the album by filmmaker Gillian Grisman, plus the holiday tune, "Christmas in New York."--Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Reviews (107)

Rob Rob Rob....
Rob Thomas I am Very Dissapointed in you I Expected So much From your solo debut esp with your single lonley no more..people Rob Thomas is app trying Something new here so and its obvious its pretty bad most of his songs are just a bunch of blah blah blah really boring and bad songs with horrible beats and poor Ballad's this cd is not worth the price i paid for it in fact its so bad i woulden't even give it away..the only upside is lonley no more,when the heartache ends and ever the same but other then that its just Junk and the slow songs are just so boring and hard to listen to because they just suck Sorry Rob But maybe you should stick to what you were doing before...good try though dont buy this unless you really i mean really love rob thomas a big dissapointment you can do better rob.

Something to Be
I was introduced to Matchbox 20 at 50 with a live concert! My kids (20 somethings) thought Matchbox 20 was old news! I am a hard core music lover and they were unbelievable in Concert and I have been totally impressed by their musicality.

Something to Be is excellent. There is a terrific range of cuts - everything from fast edgy to soft, hymn-like ballads. Even my wife who was cool on MB20 is raving about this CD - and the DVD is great - makes you realize the art of song writing and creation is truly a gift!

You won't be disappointed if you really listen to the talent!

AWESOME!!
Any fan of Matchbox 20 knows how AWESOME Rob Thomas is. He is so talented. This CD is amazing. I look forward to more great music from Rob AND Matchbox 20.

I really loved this
I listen to all sorts of music,so I was looking for something interesting.I will admit that I like pop music but I don't like the average pop crap that has been out lately.I've been listening to a lot of indie music..and associate with a lot of indie musicians.Every one of them that I have encountered so far have been like,"Eww,you bought the Rob Thomas CD?" because they think of themselves as music elitists when they're really just folk who refuse to buy anything that really sells.

Well,I gave the CD a chance and I really loved it.The song has a few beats like "Lonely No More" and some slower songs that really move me.The entire CD has the ability to get me awake,get me to sleep,get me to smile and get me to cry at once.Rob Thomas manages to cut through emotions that run deep and show them to you.

My favorite song of all is "Here Comes the Night",which I can relate to on the deepest level.The rest of the song are excellent as well.I always play the CD from beginning to end.:)

3 1/2 Stars
Overall, SOMETHING TO BE [DUAL DISC] is a refreshing release that appeals not only to one's rock sensibilities but also their pop sensibilities.Production is solid and as always, Thomas is on top with his songwriting capabilities.He made a very smart move crafting his solo affair with catchy hooks and choruses.

The main flaw of SOMETHING TO BE is that you can pick the songs that are standouts very easily while the other songs of which the album is composed is more filler material.For example, "LONELY NO MORE" is much better than say "ALL THAT I AM".Top listens on this album are at the front part and include "THIS IS HOW A HEART BREAKS", first single "LONELY NO MORE", "I AM AN ILLUSION", and "SOMETHING TO BE".Also OK listens, yet not top hits are "EVER THE SAME" and "WHEN THE HEARTACE ENDS". Definitely, this should be a Grammy Nominee at the 2006 Grammys.This is overall a good album that could have been better in some ways, but nonetheless, Thomas is an awesome songwriter and vocalist.3 1/2 stars.
... Read more

For a man who gets his biggest kicks surfing the waves and strumming his guitar on a lonely beach in native Hawaii, singer-songwriter Jack Johnson has carved out quite a remarkable career on the mainland. His 2003 album, On and On, debuted at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 and subsequently went platinum on the back of hit single "The Horizon Has Been Defeated." The follow-up, meanwhile, seems destined to shine even brighter. The drifting chords and soft voice are still in place, only now Johnson's instinct for melody has sharpened alongside his ability to self-edit. These small concessions make third album, In Between Dreams, his most conspicuous, particularly on tracks like the three-minute relationship drama, "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing," and "Breakdown," a song he originally recorded for Handsome Boy Modeling School's White People album remade here to reveal its full stripped-down loveliness. Imagine all the coconuts it will buy. -- Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Reviews (190)

nice to listen to at work, study, etc...yet not truly epic
The positive thing about IN BETWEEN DREAMS is the very easy going style in which Jack Johnson executes the disc. This appeals more to adults than say teens.His style is very subdued, yet very refined.Like most adult alternative artist what is admirable about the musicality of this type of music is the subdued guitar, which never overpowers the overall arrangement.On one of the better tracks, "Better Together", the sound produced by the rhythm section is almost of that of a jazz combo with a vocalist adding a nice tice on the tier of the arrangement.

The bad news is that unless you are say a "hardcore" fan of adult alternative that always likes to listen to such a subdued disc, then you are probably not going to fall in love with this disc.You may, even if you are in love with that genre of music, love somebody like John Mayer better, who sometimes comes over as too "subdued" or even too "pure" at times.My reasoning for saying that is that the disc isn't really epic or exciting.Johnson grows too subdued to really empower a disc that is going to give you chills.

Sure, "Better Together", "Banana Pancakes", and "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" are all great cuts, along with some others, but the rest of the disc drabbles in very unexciting adult alternative tracks, making this no more than an average easy listening disc.I recommend this for work, maybe for studying or something, or even to fall asleep to at night (and that is not an insult).It is of good quality, but when listening from a musician's standpoint, I always feel that IN BETWEEN DREAMS is lacking excitement and climax that every CD of any genre should have. 3 stars.

Great relaxing album
Just bought it yesterday and listened to most of the CD today. I was very impressed by Brushfire Fairytales and this one measured up nicely to it. The music is light and relaxing from when you need a moment away from the hectic pace of everyday life and need to get away from it all, even for a little while. This one will be staying in my iPod for quite a while.

FANTASTIC
Absolutley great.... album of the year in my books

it's worth it just to hear 'good people' but the whole album is excellent!

It will be stuck in my CD player for a very long time to come

Jack Johnson watch out...
Rising Star Alert!, JJ is good but check out this guy (description taken from official website):

Every once in a while a true, grassroots buzz is born at the fingertips of a vastly talented musician. Using nothing but an undeniable charm and an unstoppable musical mind, Teddy Geiger has created a captivating frenzy of fans worthy of the most mainstream artists.At 16, Teddy writes songs that wear the weather heart of an insightful artist far beyond those years. Teddy seasons his songs with the chewy cutting edge of new school pop sensibility and the musical sophistication of a soul that's lived through rock's glory days.With looks like he was just peeled off the set of "The O.C.," his deep blue eyes offset by a shag of black hear will pull you in with as much force as his lyrics. Teddy writes of his friends: "We walked so slow / over ladders and through windows that let in the snow / that we have no reason to cut our time in half."After a national performance as of the Finalist on VH1's "In Search of the New Partridge Family," Producer Billy Mann, the industry's go-to guy for artists like Sting, Pink, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, and Kelly Rowland, became Teddy's champion. Bill was so passionate about Teddy's talent that he jumped on board to secure the Teddy Geiger debut album on Columbia Records....www.teddygeigermusic.com

greatest hitssss
Hi...i was just wondering if anybody could give me a kind of greatest hits list for jack johnson...if you could send it to dollface10288@aol.com thats be great
... Read more

Now that Beck has effectively exorcised his personal demons with 2002's hyper-confessional Sea Change, he can get back to the business of being a total fruit loop. We all know what that involves: video game sound effects, random shouting in Spanish, and rhymes about popsicles and vegetable vans. And that's just the second track. Guero is like every Beck album condensed into one, a no-holds-barred collision of two-turntables and a microphone with the added bonus of guitars, bossa nova beats, Jack White, lyrics about spaceships and dump truck full of ideas all fighting to get heard about the ruckus. It's an exhausting and exhilarating listen with lots of peaks, such as the digitized power ballad "Broken Drum" and handclap drench folk freak-out "Farewell Ride," and more than enough to restore anyone's faith in Beck as one of the most chaotically inspired songwriters of our time. -- Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Reviews (155)

Phenomenal
Beck is truly one of a kind, and that is what makes his music always enjoyable.You never know what Beck is going to do and that unpredictability factor always makes a Beck album engaging. Too many musicians today are too cliche and you can always predict what direction they are going to take.With Beck, you're in for a surprise ride everytime.

What is unique about GUERO is that it doesn't just appeal to one audience.While Beck may be rocking out with hard guitars on his first single (and notable track) "E-Pro",he doesn't just use a standard drum set.With the Dust Brothers (Beastie Boys) producing he uses drum programming that hints at a very catchy hip-hop edge. Beck goes full fledge alternative hip-hop on "Que Onda Guero" while he chooses a conservative beach rock sound with synth and all on "Girl".

After an engaging three hit track start, Beck disappoints somewhat on "Missing".His follow-up track "Black Tambourine" again uses a Dust Brothers hip-hop beat.While it is a good and fun track, it isn't the caliber of "E-Pro", "Que Onda Guero", or "Girl".

Beck comes back strong with the hip-hop synth arrangement on "Earthquake Weather" where Beck sings with his typical folk/indie-rock style over a genius arrangement."Hell Yes" is another stellar track.Who couldn't say hell yes to that?

While all the tracks on the album are enjoyable listens, the first few and the above mentioned are the best.Beck should definitely be recognized by the Grammys for this. It is an artistic masterpiece.It is a breath of fresh air when an artist doesn't conform to the commercial aspects of music and goes for the independent approach in producing whatever they want to.You keep on doing your thing Beck and hell yes your album is cool!

The Resurrection of Beck
Beck returns in full force and great musical shape with a Cd that runs the gamut from psychedelic Jimi Hendrixlike rock to Jobimish bossa nova travelling through Pinkfloydesque ventures.
True talent exudes from this offering from the first funky single E-Pro,the ethnic QUE ONDA GUERO,the definite next single GIRL and the dark yet inspiring BROKEN DRUM.The presence of BECK in the music world is an inspiring element and reassuring thought that talent lives on,be it hailing from East L.A. or from Topeka

Pretty Good 4 a Guero
EASolinas has the perfect description : Distortion Rock a la Latin Hip-Hop . I made my fantastic edit of Odelay , Midnite Voltures and Guero called : Mixd Emotions ... Six of each ... This Guero is pretty inventive and keeps life a fresh ... Sea of Change I like all of It as it Is ... I guess I am a real at heart 70's child ... Keep it comming ...

BECK RETURNS (AND SAVES THE WORLD)
Alright, alright. We can all get over ourselves now. After months of pointing the Salem-witch-hunt-like finger at Beck and enceremoniously saying that his career has come to a dead stop, I think we need to listen to this album. Because the fact is that if any other upstart band or artist came out of nowhere and produced Guero, we would be hailing them as surefire Messiahs. They would be plastered all over every magazine, poster, t-shirt and record store and would win the Mercury and/or Shortlist prizes before the award ceremony could be put on.

This isn't Beck's best album. But does that really matter? That's like criticizing Abbey Road for not being as good as Sergeant Pepper's. The fact of the matter is we have a truly genious artist (Beck) producing a really great, fun, listenable-yet-challenging and completely original album (Guero) that can only be classified in one genre: "Beck music".

But, "Gasp!" you say. "He isn't creating a wildly new aesthetic and changing the music scene singlehandedly!". "Oh no!" you cry, "Some songs teeter on, dare I proclaim, Minimalism! THE SKY IS FALLING!"

Get off it. This record is just one of the myriad of exciting, buzz-worthy, and unique albums to be released so far this year, so for god sakes, stop debating and BUY THIS ALBUM! And then do me a favour. Sing along to the "na na na" chorus. All three of them. Bask in their carefree glory, and hear them almost speak to you. Do you know what they're saying?

"Forget expectations. Put on some Beck. Be happy."

Best album since Odelay
Beck's mishmash of sound and genre is a wonder to behold, and at times hard to listen to.It requires a patient, open mind and an ability to appreciate artists who are the musical equivalent of Picasso.Guero is not quite as all over the place as Mutations, but it still varies widely from Latin hip-hop to a quasi Country/R&B.Add in some video game sampling and distortion mic and you have Beck.

My favorite tracks on the album are Epro, Que Onda Guero, and Earthquake Weather, but all of them are great.This is one of those rare albums I can listen to from start to finish, and as such, it earns all five of its stars.
... Read more

Things have gone ridiculously well for Coldplay in the three years since 2002's A Rush of Blood To The Head. The group's global album sales have soared past the 10-million mark, putting it in the same stratosphere as U2 and the Dave Matthews Band. People have offered up their bank accounts, cars and even bodies for tickets to its shows. And, in a nice twist, front man Chris Martin married Gwyneth Paltrow, setting the tabloid world aflame. Funny thing, then, that the British quartet's much-anticipated third album, X&Y, is all about keeping its feet on the ground. In the powerful opener "Square One," the singer insists people are fundamentally the same no matter their stature. "You just want/ Somebody listening to what you say," he sings. On "Fix You," Martin grapples with imperfection and missed opportunity: "When you love someone but it goes to waste/ Could it be worse?" Meanwhile, the vibrant first single, "Speed of Sound," is all about reconnecting with the spirit and soul in the face of the paparazzo's flashbulbs. Musically, the band has never sounded more adventurous, referencing everyone from Kraftwerk ("Talk") to the Pogues ("Swallowed In The Sea"), all the while sweeping aside those Radiohead-lite comparisons to embrace a massive, moving sound that makes simplicity seem sublime. --Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Four CD's and nearly ten years into their career, System of a Down continue to be the Gilbert and Sullivan of this generation, delivering razor-sharp political commentary via beautiful, quirky melodies and discordant harmonies.

The group has mastered the ability to be both successful and subversive--with 2001's Toxicity selling over six million copies and debuting at number one on the Billboard charts, their success in indisputable. As far are their subversive-ness, the lyrical content on Mezmerize is a solid stream of anti-war, anti-corporate and anti-celebrity sentiment. The disc's first single proves as beautifully schizophrenic as anything the band has released. "B.Y.O.B." opens with guitarist Daron Malakian's rapid-fire riff, then frontman Serj Tankian's anti-war screams of "Why do they always send the poor?"; less than a minute later, a nearly-surreal jump to a facetiously perky, beach party chorus that could easily be found on a Britney or Justin record: "Everybody's going to the party/have a real good time." Guitarist/co-songwriter Malakian takes increased vocal time on the disc, including the hilarious, size-obsessed "Cigaro" and celeb-slapping "Radio/Video". Witticism aside, musical and lyrical intensity peaks with the operatic "Question!" and the emotional piledriver that is "Sad Statue", the group¹s unflinching statement on war and Lady Liberty.

The only shortcoming of Mezmerize is, quite simply, that it is short. Clocking in at a mere 38 minutes, the reason given is that this release is one-half of a two CD set--with part 2, Hypnotize, expected in late fall 2005. --Denise Sheppard

A new breath freshair for rock
If your die hard S.O.A.D. and you haven't still bought this album you should. If your not still you should sample this ablum. All of these disappoinmtent groups out their that they get loads of air time and play time on m.t.v. or v.h.1. This album will diffently prove the fact that S.O.A.D. will remain strong for many more years to come. Majority of the album is fast paced and like their debut album back in 1998. Also it's refrefshing because it sounds different from thier previuos ablums. Their isn't one bad track on this album.

BEST YET
This is the best S-O-A-D CD, It will match or even top Toxicity's sucess. This CD brings out S-O-A-D's true Metal Roots
with lots of speed rifs and great singing by both Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian. Daron Has alot more air time in this CD than in the other ones. A MUST HAVE S-O-A-D CD~!

GET MEZMERIZED!
I picked up this CD to Listen to BYOB a few times then give it to My G/F I put it in My CD Player and let it run all the way Thru and found myself enjoying every track on this Rock Masterpiece
I Always liked SOAD But, I didn't realize how Great They are 'till after listening to this CD
Producer Rick Rubin once again does his magic
SOAD is alot like Rage Against The Machine, 2PAC & Public Enemy They make this sound which isAngry,Dark,Untrusting,makes you question things and at the same time the music is Beautiful and has some of Hope!
The Boys of Metallica could learn a Thing or Two from listeing to this CD maybe how to Play Super-Fast again!

My Fav. Tracks are:
2. B.Y.O.B.
7. Violent Pornography
8. Question!
9. Sad Statue
10. Old School Hollywood
11. Lost in Hollywood(This could be called to slow and melo by some But, it's a awesome way to end this Album)

If you are a Fan of Toby Keith and "His American Take on Living" you'll Ears will Bleed and you'll hate this Album......
For everyone else looking to Hear something Different and Very Special check out this must have CD
My only problem with this Album is it's Short

Open Your Eyes and Free Your Mind
Check it Out -10/10

"And we don't live in a fascist nation..."
Finally, System of a Down is back and this really is a mezmerizing album. Still political and strong. I'm glad they haven't changed their style trying to be like all the "new rockers" in the scene and they just stick to their own thing.

They also add some Armenian melodies in their songs which are very pretty. (And no, I'm not saying that only because I'm Armenian) It adds difference from what you normally hear in the Rock genre. I can't wait until Hypnotize hits stores!

And may I point out in a different review, this person quoted a line from B.Y.O.B. saying:

"And we live in a fascist nation"

And decided to define fascism. No thanks Webster, we don't need a definition. Get your lines straight...If you listen (and maybe read the lyrics) he says

"And we DON'T live in a fascist nation"

So use YOUR head, idiot.

5 stars for music, -3 for the politics
SOAD stands head and shoulders above the rest of the nu-metal tripe out there, fusing disparate elements and making it flow, instead a contrived jagginess that is packaged oh-so-often with experimentalish music. No one can deny this, even if you find them unlistenable. Facts are facts.

However, their ignorance of basic political theory (common to liberal talking heads and a few emotional, uneducated conservatives) absolutely kills it. I don't mind that they believe xyz, it's just that their so upfront about it. It increases their stupidity exponentially. It's the same old song and dance from celebrities who are completely out of touch with governments work.

In BYOB, Serj offers this gem repeatedly:

"Why don't presidents fight the war?"

Wow. Ignorance!

The other notably oblivious line is:
"We live in a fascist nation!"

No. USA IS NOT A FASCIST NATION, SIR. Here's the definition of "fascism":

"A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.
A political philosophy or movement based on or advocating such a system of government.
Oppressive, dictatorial control."

This does not describe the US at all. Fascist nations do no have a codified freedom of speech. Past fascist leaders include: Mussolini, Stalin, Pol Pot, Hitler, and our favorite: Hussein. this is Poli Sci 101 and so obvious, I'm ashamed to even point it out. Where were their songs when Clinton ordered the disaster calld Bosnia? Were we fascist then or not? They don't know what they're talking about.

For its first new set of music since 2000's Warning, Green Day tears up the blueprint and comes up with something unexpected: A punk rock concept album built around elaborate melodies, odd tempo changes, and a collection of songs that freely reference classic rock warhorses like the Beatles and Pink Floyd. "She's A Rebel" and "St. Jimmy" might sound like vintage Green Day but the rest of the disc finds the Northern California trio trying on a variety of different guises: "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is a cliché-strewn Foo Fighters-style power ballad; "Extraordinary Girl" floats on Indian strings; and the hushed "Wake Me Up When September Ends" wouldn't sound entirely out of place on a Jessica Simpson record. It doesn't always work. "Dearly Beloved" eerily resembles the Alarm's "68 Guns" while the title track eerily resembles something Green Day has already done far too many times. But, overall, American Idiot is represents a promising step forward. --Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great cd
Ok well I just have to say that the first time I heard this cd I knew that it would be my favorite greed day cd. I have listened to this cd at least 50 times since I've gotten it! In fact I'm listening to it while im typing this reveiw. My favorite song on the whole cd is holiday and I know that this cd will be my fav. cd for a long time.

I freakin' LOVE this CD
Go get this CD! It is awesome! It has both their traditional punk rock which is always awesome and some more slow music which is also awesome. It's not like any of their other albums before. It's also very opinionated, but you can decide whether that's a good or bad thing. I really don't care! All I know is that this is one heck of a rock opera and a must-have for any Green Day fan!

best cd since kerplunk
this is probally greendays best ccd since kelrplunk almost 10 years ago and its a great cd, get it

green day rox!!!
green day is sik!
1.american idiot 8/10 i loved this song on madden too bad i over played it
2.jesus of suburbia 8/10 catchy a bit long tho still kewl
3.holiday 9/10 'on holiday'
4.blvd of broken dreams 11/10 best song on the cd by far slow rock song but great awsome lyrics catchy tune just awsome
5.are we the waiting 7/10 probably my least favorite song on the cd
6.st jimmy 10/10 awsome i can see this song in the THUG 2 fast and a nawce tune
7.give me novacaine 6/10 i change my mind this is my least favorite slow and annoying i got nothing against slow but...
8.shes a rebel 10/10 catchy lyrics just all around good
9.extraordinary girls 8/10 i hat the begining like tribal drums or something waste of 30 seconds songs ok
10.letterbomb 8/10 ok
11.wake me up when september ends 7/10 catchy lyrics slow and doesnt really go any where remember slow is not bad (take for instence adam?s song by blink)
12.homecoming 8/10 kewl song long though
13.watsername 9/10 slow (see) kewl lyrics
i averaged the scores and got 8.38461538461538461538461538...
im a math idiot
i giv the cd a easy 9/10
buy it!!
... Read more

Trent Reznor has always been a one-trick-pony, but it's a damn good trick: sunny melodies filtered through ferocious electronics. Unfortunately, the trick's impact was often watered down by a tendency toward petulance and self-absorption. Still, almost six years after NIN's last release, The Fragile, the trick itself has lost none of its Teen-Beat-from-hell appeal. With Teeth blisters from the start with "All the Love in the World," and tracks like "The Collector" take full advantage of Dave Grohl's sledgehammer drumming. Reznor stretches occasionally, trying out different tactics, from crunchy, overtly commercial rave-ups ("The Hand That Feeds") to borderline New Wave ("Only"). But Teeth isn't about stretching. It's about doing the same trick, only better, with less clutter and more bite. By neatly distilling the sparseness of Pretty Hate Machine with Downward Sprial-style density, it ends up being the most focused record in the NIN catalog. Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Reviews (312)

Best Nine Inch Nails album since "Pretty Hate Machine"
First, I have been a fan of NIN since its debut album back in 1991 when I was in high school. And I have followed this band all through college and grad school and I have to say that this is by and large their best effort since "Pretty Hate Machine"

I listened to entire album twice before writing this review and I have to say, I LOVE IT!

This is the album that should have followed "Pretty Hate Machine". PHM is by far NIN's best, but this comes a second close. Whereas "The Fragile" and the "Downward Spiral" and even the EP "Broken" were an exhausting orgy of noise and aural chaos, this album is well crafted and tight; it's hardcore yet melodic.

All the tracks are good, but the best are (in my opinion):

1) All the world in the world
3) The collector
4) The hand that feeds
5) Love is not enough
6) Every day is exactly the same
9) Getting smaller
13) Right where it belongs

Enjoy!

This guy is 40 and he has a number one album
When you mention NIN to anyone, the past music could be summed up with one word: angst. Even though much of Trent Reznor's last album was unfocused and weird, besides being very non-commercial, you can only be angry and full of angst for so long, to a point where that becomes clichÎ. Reznor wisely took a long break. He reformed the band, which includes Jeordie White. This album is also 13 tracks just over fifty minutes. Reznor has learned that less is more. The songs are brilliant. "All The Love In The World" and "You Know What You Are?" show immediately the soft and the hard side of the same coin. Then we get to the weird world of "The Collector" where all music collides. Three tracks in you realize that Reznor has decided to get more interesting on the percussion. The drum sounds are almost a fusion of drum and bass and rock drumming. "The Hand That Feeds" is a political song that recalls early NIN. Reznor proves that he hasn't lost his edge. Most of his current emotions are dealt with on "Love Is Not Enough." He makes a lot of noise and takes us to new NIN vistas. He even plays around with retro 1980s synth sounds on "Only." Punk rock and metal pop are words to describe "Getting Smaller." Reznor has made an interesting album that looks to the past and looks to the future. Not many records sound like this right now, so good for him.

Bad Pop, Even Worse Rock, and Terrible Industrial
I thought Trent was better than this. Almost every track is boring emo garbage with little to no electronic work. I've never really liked his vocal work, but here it just deflates because he has few to no catchy melodies. The good tracks are "The Hand That Feeds," "Only," "Beside You In Time" (which is nice and experimental) and "Right Where It Belongs."

The Fragile was good for its length and fairly catchy melodies. The Downward Spiral was good for its lyrics, repeating melody, and storyline. Pretty Hate Machine was good for its vast sparseness and minimalism. Get those if you haven't.

Don't be fooled; With Teeth has none of NIN's redeeming qualities or songs which will stick. Trent seems to have sold out just about completely now.

With Teeth is good!
I enjoyed With Teeth very much. I have been a fan for many years. And I think this CD is just as good as all the other Nine Inch Nails records.All of the 13 songs are different in a way.All of the NIN music has changed over the years and that is a reason that I like their work.
Trent is still a bright Artist. Some of the amazing songs in this album are All The Love In The World, Only, Sunspots, The Line Begins To Blur, Beside You In Time, and Right Where It Belongs.

If you buy this album you should try and get the 5.1 DUALDISC, it sound really amazing!
I think this album is a step forward in Nine Inch Nails music making.
The drumming is really well done for the records as well.
This new NIN won't disappoint at all.

Hate Pretty Machines
Trent's thunderously technological turbulence reaches a new zenith with the new album.I was a skeptic; initially, I thought Reznor wouldn't be able to outdo the Downward Spiral.In the end, I was right . . . because Reznor smartly doesn't try to.

Instead, the new album feels more organic.Reznor has hired out more guns to play (instead of playing an insane Beethoven and recording all his own tracks) and that has seemed to help.The first single, "The Hand That Feeds", has true punch but lacks the resonance of, say, the Greatful Dead releasing "Casey Jones."Further, Trent is good but Jerr Bear is better.Set the new NIN release aside and don't worry - your local alt station will play it over and over to drill it all into your cranium anyhow.

I do appreciate Trent offering up tracks to Apple users to remix and bushwhack at will.That struck me as open and cool; in fact, reverse my previous non-recommendation.Run out and by two copies of the new album for you and your mother,Check Amazon now; my used one is for sale right now.

And Trent just wants to play on em-tee-vee in front of a simplistic Bush backdrop and they won't let him?What's a rage-ridden rocker to do?Can rock and roll ban even the hint of rebellion?Yes, Trent has aged, and, yes, many of the beats feel (or are overtly) retro, but isn't everything? Everything is built on what came before it.Deal with it, buy the album, and enjoy it.Then, as the lights draw low, go groove to the Dead.

Sent reeling by the one-two punch Conor Oberst's Bright Eyes delivered with I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash In A Digital Urn, Ryan Adams vowed to strike back in 2005 with three of his own releases. The first--a double album, no less--sees the attention-seeking former Whiskeytown singer casting off both the raucous guitars of 2003's Rock N Roll and the rainy-day ballads of the same year's Love Is Hell in favor of the more introspective moments and rustic textures of 2000's Heartbreaker. He's snuck in at least one epic with "Meadowlake Street" and one potential radio hit with the twangy "Let It Ride," while the rest of the set is mostly packed with bleary-eyed laments that feel all too mannered after spending the last few years revealing his naked pop ambition in full. No doubt Adams will make up for it with the next one. --Aidin Vaziri

The first disc isn't very good but the second disc has its moments, some of it sounds like the songs I don't like on Pneumonia or worse while some of it is quite good. I would say on Cold Roses Ryan is in the same town of Jacksonville Skyline and Heartbreaker but still can't seem to find his way home.

I remember the rose but honey down at Midway Park the cold roses will soon be forgotten.

Simply remarkable !!!
This is a remarkable album by Ryan Adams with beautiful and also passionate back-up by the Cardinals and vocal assist by Rachel Yamagata. These are 18 distinct tracks bound together by the emotional, melancholy lyrics and melodies of Ryan Adams.If you're even close to a fan of Ryan Adams...this is a must have. Treat yourself, NOW!!!

Only because it takes so much to give an album 5 stars.
I think that this is arguably Adams' most solid and consistent record yet. I've loved all of his records, but let's admit it, even the best of them are uneven. "Heartbreaker", for all of its greatness, gets bogged down in places with its meandering acoustic numbers. Although a more solid record, "Gold" sags here and there. "Demolition", strangely enough, is a pretty solid collection, but still has the feel of a demo collection. And I could go on.

Another thing that people seem to complain about is Adams' style changing, but this has never bothered me. For some reason, it didn't seem strange to me that he would make a rock n roll record. Where he succeeds with the style changes is in the fact that ("Demolition" aside) he is consistent within each record. All of "Gold" had the same feel, all of "Love is Hell" had the same feel. And now, here is a rock-solid country-ish collection from him.

I'm not saying this is his best, I'm just saying that it feels like more of a complete work than any of the rest of his albums have. It feels like he had one creative vision and followed it through front to back.

The packaging alone is worth the four stars.

Buy this record.

excellent, but i'm not sure yet if it's a keeper
This is the type of album that would have been touted as a 'major statement' back in the 70's.But obviously the ground has shifted since then, and this album for better or worse has a calculated, 'retro' feel to it.

The worst that the cynics can say is that Ryan Adams is pandering to an aging boomer mentality (which many others besides aging boomers are afficted with), but even the curmudgeonly can't begrudge Adams his talent.Someone like this doesn't come along that often.

"Let it Ride" is a little gold nugget of a song with a gorgeous middle-eight (hey, I'm not a musician, but it's the part that goes, "I want to see you tonight, dancing in the endless moonlight...").
Not everything else on the album rises to that level, but some other songs, like "Sweet Illusion" and "Dance All Night" come pretty close.

I would rate this album higher than Stephen Stills' "Manassas" double elpee, or Wilco's "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot".I have to dock it one star for being derivative.On some of the tunes, the guitar and bass do weave around in figures very reminiscent of Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh.There seems to be little point in denying that.If that sound is your cup of tea, wouldn't itmake more sense to pull out your copy of "American Beauty" instead?

Ryan Adams Rocks
Ryan Adams is hands down my favorite artist. This is one of 3 (!!) new albums he is releasing this year. Some will say that's too much, but for me it's heaven. No one can compare to him, in my eyes. COLD ROSES has Ryan and his new group the Cardinals making a great alt-country album very reminiscent of his last group Whiskeytown. "Let It Ride" is the new single and it's awesome. The album has 18 tracks, 9 on each disc. Shaping up to be one of the best cds of 2005. Check it out!
... Read more

The Killers match postpunk guitars with an overlay of synthesizer that recalls '80s New Wave without burying their sound in nostalgia. On their debut, Hot Fuss, frontman Brandon Flowers plumbs his imagination for tales of murdered lovers ("Jenny Was a Friend of Mine," "Midnight Show"), voyeurism ("Mr. Brightside") and sexual confusion (the single "Somebody Told Me") Flowers and his mates are obviously canny students; the total effect is of a playacted obsession, but one made irresistible by their skillful, catchy songs. If there's an occasional misstep (the painfully earnest line "I got soul but I'm not a soldier" from "All These Things That I've Done"), it seems of a piece with the Killers' influences. As it is, Hot Fuss is one of several recent releases that bring a diverting faux glamour to the mainstream rock scene.--Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (50)

Possibly the Freshest Sound Around Right Now
On their new album, The Killers put out a great album filled with 80's influences. From David Bowie to Duran Duran and Depeche Mode, The Killers blend all of their influences with just the lighest sprinkle of indie-pop the make one of the freshest sounding albums of the year. Full of synth-laden hooks and pulsing dance beats, the album breathes like no other current CD. There's feel good songs like the current single, "Somebody Told Me," as well as displays of real songwriting in "Mr. Brightside" and "All These Things That I've Done." The album does have some slower-moving parts, such as "Andy You're a Star" and "Indie Rock and Roll," but they don't seem to bog down the flow of the album too much. The production quality is great, with open guitars, slamming drums, and echoey vocals. Its something you'd expect from the British underground music scene, not the Las Vegas desert. However, when The Killers come out to play, they won't leave anyone alive.

Quality retro continues, this time 80s style...
To the list of bands in the last few years that sound blatantly retro and are quite good at it (the Strokes, Interpol, the Darkness, Franz Ferdinand, etc), add the Killers to the list...

Hot Fuss is a fantastic debut cd that updates 80s music and toughens it up for modern times. The first single, Somebody told Me, reminds me a lot (at least lyrically if nothing else) of the catchiness of Blur's Boys and Girls. In a lot of ways this band is like a more-fun version of the Stills (who I also love), even though lyrically the music can often be quite dark.

There are a ton of stand-out tracks here, beginning with the first one, which is one of the best. My other favorites are two, three, four, and seven, although honestly even the worst tracks here are worth listening to.

One interesting note... a lot of people I have played this for assume that this band is British. Not so... with the Darkness and Franz Ferdinand stealing some thunder from the Strokes and the Stripes, score this as a win in USA's column.

A debut album thats catchy, lyrically meaningful, musically dense, and non-cheesily retro (even with synths involved)... what can I say, except that I can't wait for the follow-up album.

No Excuse In This Day and Age
I bought this album based on the catchy first single "Somebody Told Me." While this song is good, and some of the others have potential, there is no excuse for the piss poor recording quality of this album! The songs are all mid-range, with bass that cuts in and out sporadically. Not even a show-quality car stereo with MB Quarts and a manual equalizer could adjust the poor sound quality. It annoys me even to listen to it. Def Jam and Universal should be much more aware of what their label is producing, and filter out crap like this. The band is good, but I don't want to listen to this album. If listening to warped 8 tracks in monotone is your thing, then you'll enjoy this album. Otherwise, save your money until the producers can be bothered to spend more than 5 minutes on a song.

I'm so addicted!
I first heard the single "Somebody Told Me" on FUSE, and I thought it was ultra-catchy. I decided that I'd buy their album immediately upon it's release. So, I pre-ordered it here and waited patiently. When I first listened to it, I was immediately struck by how much I liked *every song.* I'm normally the type of person who needs to listen to a new album a few times before I like it, but not this time.

My top three songs of the album are "Andy, You're a Star," "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" and "Smile Like You Mean It." I'm not one to normally gush over bands, but Hot Fuss is a purchase that won't let you down.

Hot Fuss is generic pap
This was a major dissapointment, especially after reading the Rolling Stone review which compared the Killers to the Psychedelic Furs, New Order, and Joy Division. The fact is the Killers have nothing in common with those bands, and Brandon Flowers' lyrics and vocals don't hold a candle to Richard Butler or Ian Curtis. The fact is this band sounds like they could be on the Warped Tour opening for one of the million tenth generation Blink 182s. This is rubbish.
... Read more

What was widely predicted to be a short-lived supergroup/side-project, Audioslave has instead gratifyingly yielded a bona fide band here. The follow-up to their promising, if not quite artistically congealed '02 debut finds singer/songwriter Chris Cornell contributing a slate of songs that would have done his former Soundgarden proud, while guitarist Tom Morello and his former Rage Against the Machine bandmates cast them in a focused rhythmic groove that suggests the old school can still yield a timely lesson or two. Cornell's best songs may still lurk in the shadows (the funeral hypno-blues of "Heaven's Dead," the martial metal ofanti-war opener "Your Time Has Come," "The Worm" as anthem for self-loathing), yet they're now brightened with such surprisingly sunny fare as "Dandelion," "Doesn't Remind Me"'s charged, existentialist daydream and even a hook-rich, dangerously optimistic back-to-the-future power ballad in "Be Yourself." Morello's work on the title track and elsewhere is a study in taste and less-is-more efficiency, a telling hint of how forcefully these iconic 90's stars have sublimated their egos as their new music has blossomed; who said there are no second acts in American (rock) lives? --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (103)

Save your money
I've been listening to this cd on repeat most of the day, in hopes it would be one of those classics that grows on you. It's not.

I won't get overly detailed on the individual tracks. It has a couple (maybe 4, or 5 if you want to stretch it) of good songs with some catchy riffing, and the occasional mind-skewering Morello solo, but it's a bit weak overall.

The new single "Be Yourself" is terrible. Don't even compare it to "I am the Highway."

Don't expect the same semi-Rage stylings from their debut cd. I don't know if Cornell was very involved in the music writing, butif I had to guess, he wasn't. This cd just does not live up to any of my expectations, so save your money.

Audioslave... A Very Underated Band
I can't say it was worth the wait for this album since Audioslave's 2002 debut.But there is more good than bad on this album.The debut is still better.As for the people saying Chris Cornell wasn't using his full vocal potential on this album....well why ain't you singing for Audioslave then if you know so much? Like most rock bands not every album is gonna be played and sung the same way.Hell it would be boring listening to the same album each time its released.As for the songs here theres some good and some filler.My personal stand out tracks are "Be Yourself","The Curse",The Worm","Out Of Exile" and "Dandelion".One of the least favorites is the single "Your Time Has Come".I've listened to this song many times and still can't get into it.Just like "Drown Me Slowly" and "Doesn't Remind Me". When you listen to "The Worm" it sounds very Black Sabbath-ish,which is kinda cool.I thought "The Curse" was good surprise here.I always get a kick out of Tom Morello's guitar playing.His little tricks he does to make a distinct sound is cool.Nothing to crazy and complex,just a awesome sound.Its too bad alot more people can't get into Audioslave more.I hear just as much trash about them as Creed ever got.Oh well somebodys gotta be a hater.But if you already have Audioslave's first cd this won't be a bad pick up to go with it.

Slightly disappointing
I'd have to agree with G.D. Brennan's previous review and say this one's closer to 3.5.It's certainly better than a lot of the trash out there today, but nothing about this album really grabs me after listening to it a few times.Perhaps the best thing about Out of Exile is that the band's sound appears more organic and cohesive than it was on their self-titled debut, but this unity appears to come at the expense of the energy and experimentation that carried the previous album.Nothing on here matches the primal roar of "Cochise," while the first single "Be Yourself" seems to be a poor rehash of "Like a Stone."On the whole Out of Exile is much more subdued and restrained than the last album; songs like "Doesn't Remind Me" and "Dandelion" actually seems to take their cues from Chris Cornell's mellow solo album, Euphoria Morning, rather than the harsher edge of Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine.Even the bluesy songs, however, aren't as accomplished as "I am the Highway" or "Getaway Car" were from Audioslave's debut.The guitar solos and sound effects that Tom Morello is well known for are also largely absent, with the result that nothing on Out of Exile is as sonically complex as "Shadow on the Sun" or "The Last Remaining Light."This is a stripped-down version of what we've seen before, and while it's a solid sophomore album and may be a good introduction for those new to Audioslave, Cornell, or RATM, I can't help but miss the intensity and energy that underscored their first release.

Not working up to their potential
Listening to "Out of Exile" gave me the same sensation I got in 1996 listening to "Down on the Upside" expecting another "Superunknown."It's Rock'n'Roll-Lite.I agree with the previous reviewer that Morello's riffs are creative and technically superior, but they also get on ones nerves a little.They are too far from the traditional and end up hindering the harmony of the songs.Cornell's doesn't push his vocals to the same limit he did on their debut.With all this said, this CD still manages to keep you humming all day after listening to it.

this is even better than their brilliant debut
Chris cornell is one of the best singers in recent times and out of exile is the best album of 2005 along with angel of retribution from judas priest.this is even more better than their debut which was great too.very very highly recommended.please ignore the retarded one star reviews and get this masterpiece.
... Read more

Marked by a distinctly more middle-aged melancholy than her previous releases, Aimee Mann's The Forgotten Arm is a successfully conceived story album, following a couple through the life of their relationship. There is much for old and new fans here, as Mann lifts vignettes from the love-and-hate affair of a boxer and his girlfriend like sepia-toned snapshots from a county fair. In fact, it is in just one of those sticky, hot fairground parking lots where the romance blossoms and progresses "in the back of a Cadillac, that's her asleep in the mirror in back." The syncopated, bluesy melodies and strong ensemble of musicians make for a polished effort, and Manns gimlet eye doesnt miss much--from the seductive pain of addiction, bout-induced memory loss, and finally to the inevitable discussion about having (or not) a baby. If indigo is the mood for most of Mann's work, then The Forgotten Arm may be closer to lavender, given the seasoned humor and perspective evident in standout tracks such as "That's How I Knew This Story Would Break My Heart" and "She Really Wants You." This one's a keeper. --Megan Halverson

Quality everywhere to be found
Listening to her is like turning on the radio in the seventies and hearing great singer/writer cuts that exude warmth and naturalness. The writing as always is trenchant and the production is superb. As if that weren't enough, the cd packaging is in book form replete with artwork / lyrics and a photo of Aimee on the back that is as beautiful as the music contained within.

The unique Aimee Mann has done it again.
Let's just say from the start that I have given up trying to be objective about Aimee Mann a long time ago. I fell in love with the woman's voice and songwriting abilities the minute I first heard "Voices Carry" in 1985 (which she recorded with her former band Til Tuesday) and followed her around ever since, through thick (the long overdue success of the "Magnolias" soundtrack) and thin (the strangely impersonal and generic "I'm with stupid", her only small misstep in a 20 year career as a recording artist). Her recordings have never ceased to amaze me for two very simple reasons : 1) This woman can WRITE songs that are at once compelling, memorable, catchy and deeply emotional 2) This woman has a singing voice that doesn't sound like anyone else's - the minute you hear her, you KNOW it's her.

This said, anyone who'll take a close listen to her latest album "The Forgotten Arm" will know that Aimee is still one of the most arresting artists of her generation. The album loosely follows the ordeals of two lovers on their path through addiction and alienation, and the music is the key that holds it together : a straightforward, earthy production that echoes vintage rock and roll, all the while sounding totally contemporary. Aimee has stripped down some of the chubbier production tricks of her previous solo albums, and delivered an album that's both richly textured and minimalistic. Of particular interest is the fact that she has been using the piano a lot more than before, and not just on ballads, giving back this underrated instrument its rightful place.

The songs are all amazing, but some of them are of particular interest. The debut single, "Going through the motions", is a clever and catchy pop-rock affair; however the real potential smash single is "I can't get my head around it", a song that will lodge itself in your brain forever. "I can't help you anymore", "King of the jailhouse" and "I was thinking I could clean up for Christmas" arejust as deserving, and the album finds its emotional core with the one-two punch of the achingly beautiful "Little bombs" and "That's how I knew this story would break my heart". "Dear John" and "Goodbye Caroline" are strong rockers and "Beautiful" concludes the album with lyrics that are both mournful and hopeful, leaving the listener to make up their own mind about the way this story ends.

Some will find that this album lacks the emotional depth and sonic adventureness of "Lost In Space", its predecessor; and while it's true that nothing here quite rivals songs like "Invisible Ink" (Aimee's crowning achievement as asongwriter), "It's Not" or "The Moth", this album succeeds exactly by NOT trying to imitate what has already been beautifully recorded. Aimee is a truly challenging artist and "The Forgotten Arm" is a great reminder of that.

That's Actually 3 and a half stars...
Aimee Mann makes me wish that records were still pressed on vinyl. I'd love to be able to look at the artwork and the lyrics in big print while I listen over and over. And as another reviewer noted, you have to listen over and over to get the hooks, which this cd has, but not as many as usual for Aimee. There are a couple of great songs on here ("Going Through the Motions" and "Video"), and a lot of really good ones ("King of the Jailhouse," "She Really Wants You," "I Can't Get My Head Around It" and "Little Bombs"); but this cd hooked me only about as much as "Whatever." If you're an Aimee Mann fan, you may find that this collection pales in comparison to the last two (but I'm a freak for "Bachelor No. 2," and "It's Not" from "Lost in Space" is the MOST PERFECT Aimee Mann song ever). Even a pale comparison, however, is better than 98.9% of what's on the market musically today.

A Cotton Candy Knockout

"The Forgotten Arm" has a melodic and harmonic beauty matching Aimee Mann's all-time best offerings.

There is a real sense of time and place to the sound here.The songs flow.If "I'm With Stupid" was a wintery Londonesque album this is a summertime Americana album, harking back to her Virginia roots, evoking a time and place with both the sounds and the imagery she employs right from the opening line: "Cotton candy was king on the midway that spring..."

Her voice has never been richer, delivering those trademark "low notes" right when it counts and showcasing her heavenly upper range on "Beautiful" and "That's How I Knew This Story Would Break My Heart" - one of the most quietly tender and beautiful ballads she has written since "No One is Watching You Now" or "Ray."

Joe Henry deserves a lot of credit as well for his imagination in helping shape the sound.The injection of a little new blood makes a world of difference on "The Forgotten Arm," with great guitar work from Jeff Trott, punchy drumming at faster tempos, and a very tight core band that you can tell has been touring together for a while. The mix is fantastic with some extremely bold, shimmering, explosive sonics for a "stripped down" album.

For all the justified attention Aimee Mann's lyrics get, her music might just be even better.Nobody is writing catchier songs, and she is often at her best here.Though her songs are mostly about off-kilter relationships, even the cynical observations are wrapped in layers of humor, vivid imagery and sticky sweet music.The difference is in her cleverness and details.Nobody delivers a musical and lyrical combo punch as well as Aimee Mann.

As alongtime Mannlistener and Largo visitor
I find this album consistant with Mann's work...especially with what she has done apart from Jon Brion.Consistancy has it's good and bad points.If you are looking for beautiful melodies and well-constructed lyrics, you will not be disappointed.Every song is a pitch-perfect performance.
But maybe Mann is too consistant?In some ways it is all almost too controlled, too perfect.It would be nice to have her break out and let loose.Brion seemed to tap her impovisational spirit a bit more than her current producers.And the result was less consistant, but also less predictable.Even live Mann is consistant, each song sounding eerily likeher recording of it.Maybe that is what crowds want: the familiar.But I miss the exploration of the unmined spaces of a song that people like Brion (or Dylan, or Lucinda Williams)provide...and Mann sometimes allows herself and her audience.
... Read more

On No Doubt's great Rock Steady, Gwen Stefani was a "girl that hangs with the boys...just sippin' on chamomile." Three years and a KROQ-nerd Talk Talk cover later, she presents a solo debut that wants it all--Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano, backseat love and lifetime devotion, '70s pop throwbacks and hip-hop beats and Clash adoration (she continues to be managed by the firm of Rebel Waltz, named for a mournful Sandinista!cut). Among the standout tracks are the stomping, Neptunes-driven "Hollaback Girl," the tongue-in-cheek Eve/Dr. Dre collaboration "Rich Girl," and the girl-power manifesto "What You Waiting For?"; another tune, "The Real Thing," nods toward role-model Madonna's "Holiday." Though it can't match Rock Steady's inexorable track-by-track flow, Love, Angel, Baby, Music is such state-of-the-art pop that the description almost feels like damning it with faint praise. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Despite making it through a difficult four-year stretch in which the band temporarily broke up, singer Shirley Manson left her husband, and new technologies made the sleek electro-rock sound of its first three albums feel passé, Garbage resurfaces in rude health on Bleed Like Me. Manson is still kickboxing the air and stomping the glitter under her heels, as she channels Debbie Harry and Chrissie Hynde on edgy glam-rock anthems like "Run Baby Run" and "Metal Heart." All the while three bookish producers in the background--including Butch Vig, who famously helmed Nirvana's Nevermind--turn up the sleazy machine-like rhythms. Foo Fighters front man Dave Grohl sits in on the drums for the menacing "Bad Boyfriend," but it's the confessional title track Bleed Like Me"--part "Walk on the Wild Side," part therapy session for former cutter Manson--that shatters Garbage's image as the ultimate non-stick studio band. "You should see my scars," goes the chorus. And, for once, Manson is actually willing to reveal them. -- Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Reviews (122)

This Garbage doesn't Smell
If you were like me, you loved the first two Garbage albums but felt a little let down on the third release, Beautiful Garbage. It wasn't bad but it wasn't as good as the first two.

Well after waiting four years for a new album I'm happy to report that Garbage is back. Bleed Like Me is another standout performance by a standout band.

It took them a long time to put out their fourth album but it was worth the wait. Please listen to the album closely and for at least two listens, as it gets better the more you hear. I'm equally impressed with the song writing, arrangements and presentation. You'd think by the fourth album they'd be slowing down a little but both crucial elements seem to be as strong as ever.

I like all the songs but here are my favorite five.

"Why Do You Love Me" I believe this is or will be released as a single. It is a medium fast bouncy tune with a catchy
chorus:
"Why do you love me, why do you love me,
why do you love me, You're driving me crazy"
If "Why Do You Love Me" is not the best song on the album it is certainly the most noticable.

The title song "Bleed Like Me" is another dandy. It has the tempo and presence of Garbage's biggest hit "Stupid Girl" but it different enough to really be appreciated. The suject seems to be homosexual in nature as this chorus depicts:
"All dressed up and acting coy,
Painted like a brand new Christmas toy.
He's trying to figure out if he's a girl or he's a boy

Three Killer songs in a row with "Metal Heart" a variable paced Gem. As with the previous two it's quite catchy and has some just killer guitar riffs in it. There's also a bit of electronica in this one too. Lyrics are sweet as well:
"I wish I had a Metal Heart, I could cross the line
I wish that I was half as good as you think I am"

The hits keep coming with "Sex is not the Enemy", maybe my second favorite song. I don't know it's hard to tell. As a lot of Garbages music "Sex is not the Enemy" has a deliciously, querulous delivery and melody. I like the lyrics as well:
"No evolution, Sometimes it depresses me
The ame old same, Oh we keep repeating History"

Shirley uses the megaphone for part of this rolicking rock tune, "The Boys want to fight", Which is a variable tempo but is mostly fast. Cute lyric's too:
"The Boys want to fight,
But the girls are happy to dance all night"

Not their best, but wait a minute...
I ordered this album blindly, because I'll listen to anything that Shirley Manson appears on, even the rather mediocre stuff from Angelfish. I turned it on, and I heard "Bad Boyfriend," and I was BLOWN AWAY.
Unfortunately, I was bored by "Run Baby Run" (it's one of those songs you have to develop a taste for), "Right Between The Eyes" (not nearly enough venom), and "Why Do You Love Me" (it is good, but far from magnetic; I think it was a poor choice for a single). Despite what Rolling Stone says, I think that the best part of the album is the second half (except, of course, for "Bad Boyfriend"). "Bleed Like Me" was eerily brilliant. "Metal Heart" grabbed me with its chorus: "Now that we know for sure that they're telling lies when they say no one gets hurt and therefore nobody dies..." "Sex Is Not The Enemy" is formulaic but the instrumentals are good. "It's All Over But The Crying" is the best breakup song I've ever heard: a happy medium between "YOU BROKE UP WITH ME!!! I HATE YOU!!!" and "I think I'm going to curl up and die." "Boys Wanna Fight" is perfect for an era where every side wants you to believe their propaganda. "Why Don't You Come Over" is loud, biting, and the perfect song for not caring. "Happy Home" is an intense finale in the tradition of "Milk" and "You Look So Fine" (although nothing tops "Milk.")
If you're picky, just download "Bad Boyfriend."
If you have never listened to Garbage before, what the heck, get this: my first Garbage album was Beautifulgarbage. I later realized it kind of sucked, but I enjoyed it a lot then.
If you are a Garbage fan, you need this album, if only to compare and contrast and enjoy Shirley Manson.

another band another album ho hum
Garbage has always been a quality band. Their first album is still amazing. They have put out four albums now and are among one of the great international bands. Their songs are truly massive and have widespread appeal. They are music for festival and rather large venues. "Bad Boyfriend" has a feeling much like Foreigner's "Hot Blooded." Dave Grohl plays drums on this track. Other songs like "Run Baby Run" combine rock and techno music. This is their song that is most like The Cure. "Why Do You Love" is their best single in many tries. "Bleed Like Me" is based on a story by JT Leroy. Shirley Manson has befriended the strange author. He is so reclusive that Shirley had to take his place at a book reading. Most of the album deals with Shirley Manson's personal emotions. This album overall seems a little bit more up. I ran into Duke Erickson at The Roxy earlier this year and he acted like a jerk. He was pissed that I even spoke to him. What a snob! I like their music though. I think that fans of Garbage will like this album.

Review from the Synthesis
After a three-year hiatus and another year in the recording studio, Garbage has returned with their fourth album, Bleed Like Me. After trading in their electro/alternative rock sound for the lavishly produced pop vibe on their last album, Garbage is back to what they do best. Stylistically, Bleed Like Me is close to their first two releases, with the addition of a darker, more aggressive edge. This new facet to their sound is evident from the start of the CD as it opens with the driving, guitar-laden "Bad Boyfriend," and returns throughout the album. Even with this edgier sound, one can't dismiss the catchy pop elements on Bleed Like Me. Songs like "Run Baby Run" and "Right Between The Eyes" are reminiscent of "Special" from Version 2.0. And Shirley Manson's Chrissie Hynde-esque vocal stylings have always brought a pop flavor to the band. Despite being one of the more defining elements of their sound in the `90s, the electronic influence is now more subdued. But those who love Garbage's electro sound need not worry, as songs like "Metal Heart," "Boys Wanna Fight," and "Why Don't You Come Over" contain enough electro elements to keep them happy. Solid from beginning to end, superbly produced and full of sonic ear candy, Bleed Like Me is a much-needed relief from the neo-new wave sounds permeating the air waves.

- Jason Catanzarite
Synthesis.net

A Triumph!All Killer- No Filler.
This is my first listen to Garbage, and now I see what I was missing.Manson's singing is great and the songs have unusual arrangements that are very appealing.And, Garbage rocks!I have been listening to this for a week and I am not tired of it yet.Buy it.
... Read more

Trent Reznor has always been a one-trick-pony, but it's a damn good trick: sunny melodies filtered through ferocious electronics. Unfortunately, the trick's impact was often watered down by a tendency toward petulance and self-absorption. Still, almost six years after NIN's last release, The Fragile, the trick itself has lost none of its Teen-Beat-from-hell appeal. With Teeth blisters from the start with "All the Love in the World," and tracks like "The Collector" take full advantage of Dave Grohl's sledgehammer drumming. Reznor stretches occasionally, trying out different tactics, from crunchy, overtly commercial rave-ups ("The Hand That Feeds") to borderline New Wave ("Only"). But Teeth isn't about stretching. It's about doing the same trick, only better, with less clutter and more bite. By neatly distilling the sparseness of Pretty Hate Machine with Downward Sprial-style density, it ends up being the most focused record in the NIN catalog. Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Reviews (112)

With Teeth is good!
I enjoyed With Teeth very much. I have been a fan for many years. And I think this CD is just as good as all the other Nine Inch Nails records.All of the 13 songs are different in a way.All of the NIN music has changed over the years and that is a reason that I like their work.
Trent is still a bright Artist. Some of the amazing songs in this album are All The Love In The World, Only, Sunspots, The Line Begins To Blur, Beside You In Time, and Right Where It Belongs.

If you buy this album you should try and get the 5.1 DUALDISC, it sound really amazing!
I think this album is a step forward in Nine Inch Nails music making.
The drumming is really well done for the records as well.
This new NIN won't disappoint at all.

Good, very solid, but not Great.
This album is perfectly produced, every note is hit right, every thing is in its place.It's superbly done and well crafted, both musically and in the recording.However, there is nothing new here.It seems bland and too thought out.Nothing grabs you.There is no "Terrible Lie" or "Closer" here.All the songs are good and because of that all of them get lost.There are some jazz-esque type moments on the first track and repeated in another song or two but it does not make them stand out.This album is boring in every way.

With Teeth, angst all grown up... sort of.
Trent Reznor is back with another trip through his psyche in With Teeth, and this time, it's a rock and roll trip. Six years after the release of his last studio album, The Fragile Trent brings us an album that at face value has a alt-rock sound, yet has all the underpinnings of a true Nine Inch Nails release. The album is subtly complex full of the layering fans would expect from a follow up to Downward Spiral and The Fragile, but may not be immediately aware of them as they blend in so naturally with the composition. With Teeth separates itself from its predecessors with high energy tracks throughout the album, with a notable exception of the quiet Right Where It Belongs. Driving this energy is the rock record finish on this album of trashy guitars and driving percussion, a majority of the live percussion done by Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters. The emotion of the album shows in Trents signature vocals and a matured version of angst and anger in the lyrics and music. Longtime fans may miss the abundance of harsh synthesizers and wildly distorted guitar found in previous albums.

With Teeth is rife with the sound of rock clichés spun through the industrial machine that is Nine Inch Nails. The first single from the album "The Hand That Feeds" is commercial rock so riddled with clichéd questions and just as if not more compelling then Closer was when it was released. Edges of punk rock come out in Getting Smaller, and Only has a opening and a synth line that could have come straight out of an 80's new wave hit. Sunspots stands out sounding like something that R.E.M. might have done coming out of a week-long drug bender. Something that surprised me so much to find on a Nine Inch Nails album that I had to replay the track several times, Right Where It Belongs has a definite country western bend to it and could have been this albums Hurt given a different treatment. With multiple plays I am positive any listener will be able to draw lines connecting the sounds of With Teeth to all corners of the rock genre.

I applaud Trent and the marketing at Nothing Records for providing everything this or any album needs for the art that is the entire package to survive in the digital age. Neither physical format of the album comes with much more liner notes than a track listing and a web link to find all the information at a page for the album on nin.com including downloadable PDF versions to print and save.

NIN FUTURE
It's so good to have NIN back.
I;ve listened the entire album for 3 times and it's still amazing me.
There are so many bands that have been influenced by NIN like TOOL,Linkin Park, etc... that we allways expect something new and different from Trent Reznor.
With TEETH is a complete different album from the others NIN's works but it still have the NIN essence.
For me The best song in the album is "Beside you in time".
I'ts a masterpiece and i see the Future of NIN there.
NINE INCH NAILS NO TE ME MUERAS NUNCA

Open Letter to Mr. Trent Reznor
For the last 6 years, while you were busy doing heroin and whacking off to Shakira videos, you forced the rest of us to endure the likes of Nickelback and frickin' Rob Thomas.
But we forgive you.
It is so good to have you back.
... Read more

Writer and director Zach Braff does a masterful job matching the charming, heartfelt tone of classic films like The Graduate and Rushmore in his motion picture debut, Garden State, so it only makes sense that the music he personally compiled for the soundtrack plays just as big a part here as it did in those films. Simon & Garfunkel's languorous "The Only Living Boy in New York" is an obvious thread, but aside from Nick Drake's "One of These Things First," Braff is able to carry the mood without getting tripped up in the past. Frou Frou's "Let Go" and Zero 7's "In the Waiting Line" supply soft techno touches, while Iron & Wine's "Such Great Heights" and former Men at Work singer Colin Hay's "I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You" offer understated angst. It's a pair of emotionally racked contributions from the Shins ("Caring is Creepy," "New Slang"), however, that really make this compilation a must-have. --Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Taking three-years between albums has made Weezer grow slower and more sober. But on its fifth disc the Los Angeles quartet is no more secure about its place in the world than it was a decade ago in longing tunes like "The World Has Turned And Left Me Here." Singer Rivers Cuomo, still struggling with adolescence at 34, is all apologies. "All I have to do is swing and I'm the hero/ But I'm a zero," he sings on "Perfect Situation," and "I am terrified of all things/ Frightened of the dark," on the lighters-aloft power ballad "Hold Me." The band, meanwhile, keeps things from getting too heavy by punctuating the songs with a familiar rush of bouncy new-wave melodies and fizzing power-pop riffs resulting in the hair-flinging metal of the future D.A.R.E. theme song and album high-point, "We Are All On Drugs." --Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Reviews (173)

The Return of the Weez(er)?
3.75 stars.
There is something that I realized just recently. I am one of those fans of the first two Weezer records, the brilliant "Blue" album and "Pinkerton", and am also one of those people who felt truly dissapointed by the last two records, "Maladroit" and "Green". But my revealtion was this: this isn't the same Weezer that made "Blue" and "Pinkerton". Five years passed between "Pinkerton" and "Green", and in thattime something left(namely the dope fresh funkiness and silliness of one Matt Sharp). I dunno what exactly. But this is not the same Weezer. This is Weezer Mach Two. So to think that an album like the first two will come out again is silly and stupid, at least to me. And once I realized this, a certain kind of contentness washed over me.
So, Weezer's fifth record "Make Believe", how it is? Well I am happy to report that is the groups strongest and most consistant group of songs since "Pinkerton", even if there is a tad too much filler to classify it as an undiputed classic(at least to me).
"Perfect Situation", "Pardon Me" and "The Damage in Your Heart" are what Weezer have always done best, arena heavy pop songs with infectious choruses, and are two of the songs Weezer have done thus far. A trio of power ballads, "Hold Me"(which brings back the loud/ soft dynamic like "Say It Ai'nt So"), "Peace" and the records best track(and best Weezer song in nearly a decade) "Haunt You Every Day" all features choruses that bring back the goosebumps, along with lyrics anthemic enough that you're singing along at the top of your lungs before the second choruses even kicks in. "This Is Such A Pity" is a straight up Cars homage, and an excellent one at that, a nice slice of pop that Ric Oseack and crew would have been damn proud of to have written(it's odd that they go full Cars when the man who wrote the Cars music isn't producing, isn't it?). And "Freak Me Out" adds extra dimension to the record and showcases a different side of Weezer that will hopefully be explored further on the next Weezer record.
On the oppiosite side of things, lead off single "Beverly Hills" is just to simple to leave much of an impression(though the Steve Miller inspired solo rocks), and "We Are All On Drugs" is too preachy to be taken seriously, and questioningly borrows its melody line from the grade school recess school yard anthem "Diarehha". "My Best Friend" rocks a melody that is not very memorable and lyrics that are just a tad to touchy feely for my personal taste.
The production, courtsey of Rick Rubin, or as he is known affectionatly "The Beard", is as clean as a Weezer record has ever been, with all the rough spots cleaned over for a crystal clear product. This is neither heere nor there to me since it should be about the quality of the songs, not the production that matters(you hear me Steve Albini!), and lyrically, Rivers walks a fine line between more introspective material and bland pop lyric writting, but this time it at least sounds like he's trying.
Now don't take any of this as me telling you not to buy the record. I'm saying buy the record. It's a GOOD album. I don't think it's great, but it's defintley not awful either. There are six or seven songs here that are the best stuff that they've written and played in nearly a decade, and it really is cool to hear Weezer sound slightly impassioned about playing music again. And this time I'm glad to see that this isn't a begruddging liking of the record, like some parts of "Green" and "Maladroit" that are okay but you say they're better because you need to convince yourself that it's better than it is. This time the songs really are good that are good. And that makes me excited to hear the next Weezer record for the first time in a long time. Weezer Mach Two is finally finding their footing. "Make Believe" made me pretty happy.
And isn't that what a good record is supposed to do anyway?

Highlights few, not what it used to be
After recording and rerecording over 70 songs for album 5, Weezer scrapped almost all of them and put in new songs for the new album "Make Beleive".Billed as "the most important album of their career" by Rolling Stone (can be seen on the sticker that is on the shrink wrap), but in a completely different vein.The album starts off with the hit single "Beverly Hills".A simple catchy song and in this reviewer's opinion, one of the 3 best on the album.There's some 80's influence on tracks like "This is Such a Pity" (synths), but not to the point of the somewhat overdone new wave revival that has recently become popular.One track, "My Best Friend", is easily my favorite song on the album.Maybe its just because it reminds me of the brightness of the green album and I like the organ sound.The other highlight of the album is "We Are All On Drugs" (on the initial pressings of Make Beleive there is an incorrect version of this song).All in all, if there was a comparison to another Weezer album on this one it would be closest to Maladroit, but there is still very little similarity.This is a decent album but it isn't the best to be someone's first Weezer album.

Make Believe: 4.999 out of 5
Although Weezer has changed their views and music style since the long-past 1994 era, the new album, titled Make Believe, proves that the boys can still deliver.The new album is chalk full of pinkerton-reminescent songs (Perfect Situation, Hold me, Peace) along with the occasional super pop-song (We are all on Drugs, Beverly Hills).I would have the say that the only song on the entire album that gets the 'skip' button is "My Best Friend."Many older weezer fans love this song, however, because of its raw and unadultered innocence.The new album has interesting musical appear as well.The guitars range from clean, to distorted... from power chords to harmonics.There are also pianos, keyboards, and harmonicas present in more songs than not.So there you have it,the long anticipated fifth album from Weezer;trust me, this one is definately a keeper.=w= J.O.N.A.S. =w=

Great Listen
I get tired of Weezer fans comparing everything to Pinkerton or TBA.Is this album as good as those?No, it's not.Is this a great Weezer album to add to the collection?Yes, it is.

MB sounds nothing like the previous albums, but at the same time, it sounds entirely like the old albums.There are new instruments and effects that really enhance the listening experience and the eclecticness of the band.

I have been a fan of Weezer since the beginning, and I feel that songs on the album rank up there with the best of them all.My personal favorites are "Perfect Situation", "This is Such a Pity", and "Hold Me"."Freak Me Out" is one of the most interesting Weezer Tracks I have heard, as practically the whole melody is harmonics.

Anyways, this is a perfect summer album and completly worth the price and the shelf space.

Enjoy!!!

Weezer is Back!
The long awaited return of Weezer will not disappoint! After listening to Make Believe in its entirety, I have come to the conclusion that it is one of Weezer's best cds, much better than Maladroit or The Green Album...as far as the songs go:

"Beverly Hills" - seems to be made just to be the radio hit single, it's sound and lyrics don't really flow with the rest of the album, it is definitely the most poppy song on the album

"Perfect Situation" - Starts out with a riff very similar to "Simple Pages" from the Green Album, but then goes it's own direction and is pretty solid

"This Is Such A Pity" - Rumored to be the second single off of the album, definitely brings a different sound than "Beverly Hills" as it has a synth type vibe to it, the lyrics seem to be a little more emotional, maybe reminicent of some Pinkerton stuff

"Hold Me" - My personal favorite! The lyrics are so simple, but yet so deep...there is clear emotion on this track, and the guitar is mellowed out, and it definitely brings back the Pinkerton feel, an excellent song! I'm not sure if it gets any better than Rivers singing "hold meeee" at the top of his lungs

"Peace" - Another excellent song, bringing the emotional side again, guitar is a little poppy, but still nowhere near as poppy as the Green Album

"We Are All On Drugs" - Almost sounds like it is rapped, similar to the way "Beverly Hills" sounds...it brings the poppy side to the album again, and could possibly be the second single, the chorus however is a little heavier than "Beverly Hills"

"The Damage In Your Heart" - Another emotional piece...not my favorite song by any means, but I still like it a lot, as I do with the rest of the album

"Pardon Me" - An excellent song, written very well...the lyrics seem to be about Rivers asking for an appology for all that he has done wrong...Starts out a little slow, but builds up to a strong chorus...I read that this was Rick Rubin (The producer)'s favorite song

"My Best Friend" - Very catchy track, similar to the poppy beat of "Beverly Hills", so if you enjoy that song, you will like this song as well, definitely my least favorite song on the album, very simple beat, very simple lyrics...nothing special about this one

"The Other Way" - Another great song on this album...Pretty mellowed out, decent chorus, lyrically is well written and caries some emotion, pretty good song

"Freak Me Out" - One of my favorite songs on the cd, it's pretty mellow, maybe the softest of songs on the cd, but it carries a good beat, and I really enjoy it

"Haunt You Every Day" - Very good ending track, it's no "Only In Dreams" but then again, nothing ever will be, but it carries the emotion that I love from Rivers in the lyrics, has a great beat, with some nice guitar, one of my favorite tracks

Overall, this album is comparable to Pinkerton, but it definitely shows progression and maturity from that album as well, some songs bring the poppy sound of the Green Album too, so it's kind of like a PinkGreen Album, if that makes sense...

As far as the extras on the cd go, I found them to be rather disappointing, but I'm not judging a cd by that...I definitely recommend this album to any Weezer fan!
... Read more

The album that carries U2 into its 25th year--and likely the mixed blessings of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame--is one of its most frank and focused since the days ofOctober and War. But its gestation was anything but simple, in part salvaged from '03 sessions the band deemed subpar. Enter Steve Lillywhite, the band's original producer and sometime collaborator in the decades since, who helped retool the track "Native Son" (originally an anti-gun screed) into the aggressive i-Pod anthem "Vertigo" and leaves his distinctive stamp on the muscular "All Because of You" and others. Perhaps weary of ceaseless, fashion-driven reinvention in the wake of monumental success, U2 seem only too happy here to re-embrace their original sonic trademarks in service of more daring, pop-melodic hooks than they've collected in one place in decades. The Eno/Lanois produced "Love and Peace or Else" may shimmer with the duo's electro-production conceits, but it's Edge's lugubrious, post-modern John Lee Hooker guitar swagger that drives it. Elsewhere, Bono's trademark dramaturgy is spotlighted on "City of Blinding Lights," the unabashed romance of "A Man and a Woman" and the confessional "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own." It may come wrapped in a conundrum--is it nostalgic retrenchment or sum of the band's endless musical catharsis?--but it's also the album where,Fly and MacPhistobe damned, U2 boldly claims its arena titan mantle with apologies to no one.--Jerry McCulley

Gimme Fiction is Spoon's loosest, most eclectic effort yet. While still sounding like themselves, the Austin-based band manages to evoke a number of other artists on their fifth full-length. (It's a neat trick.) On proto-glam opener "The Beast and Dragon, Adored," Britt Daniels channels the David Bowie of The Man Who Sold the World. Then there's slinky jam "I Turn My Camera On," where he conjures up Prince or Mick Jagger, circa "Miss You," by singing in a higher register. As indicated by the title, "Sister Jack" sounds like early Who (i.e. "Happy Jack"), while "They Never Got You" sounds like Plastic Ono Band-era John Lennon. Do all these different styles hang together? For the most part: yes. After the triumph of Kill the Moonlight, Spoon could have easily rested on their laurels and issued another album just like it, but Gimme Fiction proves they would rather evolve than stagnate. --Kathleen C. Fennessy ... Read more

Reviews (21)

gimme truth
Somebody doesn't like this cd because it clocks in at around 43 minutes?Jesus give me break...thank god this band...any band makes music for themselves first and foremost and not for some whiny fans--that decide after one listen that they give up on one of their "favorite groups"....is this worth it?umm Yea it is.

This is the latest incarnation of Spoon, and I'm pleased to go along for the ride.There's a warmth to this recording that I really like and Britt's voice come shining thru...and the songs are catch as hell to boot.

To me,this just extends "Kill The Moonlight" and "Girls Can Tell".I know how it is, when you deeply like/care about a band and think that you've been betrayed by them...because oh oh...other people now like them and know about them...and there not your "personal" band anymore....well thats progress folks..and if this means that Spoon gets known, well better them than all the Franz Ferdinand wannabees coming down the pike.

If you give this time, this will join the last 2 excellant efforts and you'll be rewarded.

Spoon, adored
Less angular, but more -- what? insular? -- than "Kill the Moonlight", but no less compelling.Certainly no misguided bid for new converts.Brilliant.

The Best Since The Beatles
Spoon is a great band and all the songs show how much Spoon has improved over the years. The Beast And Dragon Adored shows Pink Floyd and Sonic Youth Influences,this is clearly the best song on the album. Two Sides of Monsieur valentine makes an ode to punk legend Elvis Costello, Britt Daniels voice is so good on this one. I turn my camera on is a post-punk sound that is similar to the Medium and Gang of Four. In Sister Jack, Daniels does his best Pete Townshend impression and there is a really great guitar attack on this song. Spoon reminds of how much the British Invasion really matters.

A shocking twist for the worse
I love Spoon. They have written several of my favorite songs and their last three albums before this one have all been favorites of mine as well. This album does not come close.

Spoon was exciting because they were able to pack catchy offbeat melodies with minimalistic instrumentation. No one overplayed, but they were still able to generate some of the most interesting songs in the last 10 years. Britt Daniel's voice is incomprable just in sound. Indeed, their earlier work just had such a sleekness to it.

There was a time when Spoon valued brevity. "A Series of Sneaks" was filled with 14 tracks, only 2 of which were longer than 3 minutes. A standout song on that cd, "Car Radio", was a mere minute and a half. This disc is filled with long tedious uninteresting songs. Somehow Spoon has managed to rob themselves of one of their greatest assets.

The album clearly isn't quite beyond redemption, but I see it as a clear lowpoint in Spoon's carreer and can only hope that their follow-up will be better.

The best get better (and deeper, and more mature, and...)
The strong, sustained flashes of brilliance that were shown on "Kill the Moonlight" and "Girls Can Tell" becomes a near given on "Gimme Fiction."While those albums tended to sound similar from track to track, "Gimme Fiction" roves expertly over a much wider range of sounds, and in doing so gives us an album that we can listen to over and over and over without ever growing tired.In fact, this is one of those rare albums that seems to draw greater appreciation every time you hear it, thanks to the nuanced track choices and diverse sounds, not to mention the smart, if some times esoteric, lyrics.

But Spoon fanatics, take heart, because the best of what we've grown to know and love remains, mainly a driving, funky sound and still enough vocal and sonic experimentation to keep you guessing.

This is easily one of the top albums of 2005 so far, and could very well grow into a classic with time.For now, it deserves top billing in your iPod or CD player.Just don't forget to put it on repeat...
... Read more

The Killers. Interpol. Franz Ferdinand. Without New Order's influence they could have all ended up making albums of country & western ballads. Since the demise of Joy Division in 1980, the British synth-pop quartet has been diligently changing the course of popular music, lobbing unlikely but inventive hits like "Blue Monday" and "True Faith" into the charts. Twenty-five years on, New Order remains shockingly vital. Its eighth proper album overflows with shimmering melodies, anchored by Peter Hook's spine-tingling bass lines and Bernard Sumner's thin but emotive voice in thrilling new songs like "Krafty" and "Dracula's Castle." -- Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Reviews (74)

Will someone please steal this album from me?
Why the odd title?I drive a little over a half hour (each way) to and from work, and since I bought this album I have listened to it over and over.(I know, dumb eh?)

At first listen I thought "Get Ready" was a far superior album, but I found that the more I listened the more I heard.By far a much more progressive album for New Order, but still classic sounding that fits the fact that "yes, New Order was an 80's band", but this is their new album that is so 21st century.A worthy addition to any collection, whether rock, pop, 80's, or synth.

Refreshing....!!!!!
In am an old Joy Division fan and have followed New Order ever since.When Technique came out in 1989 I could not stop playing it when I was in Brunei of all places.Since then I have had kids, etc. etc. but still love to listen to music.My favorite station is http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/.So when they started playing the new NO some months ago I could not believe my ears and straight away pre-ordered it on www.amazon.com. It took some getting used to but now it is the CD I play most in the car and it brings tons of smiles to my face.The kids may not like it too much but for me it brings back good memories and it is so refreshing to see that old 'rockers' can still bring out a record that surely must be one of the top ten of this year.If you like their record and have not discovered BBC1 go to their website and listen to the live show or the various shows from the previous week which are all accessible on their 'player'.If you pay $12/month here for satellite radio then think again...

Alt-rock icons make us feel like its 1992 all over again.
New Order's history is filled with mournful iciness, sublime electro-disco, seminal Britpop and episodes of portly overblown grandeur. And, depending on what moves them, the band's fans always seem to gravitate toward one of these elements more than the others. To that end, Waiting For The Sirens' Call offers something for everyone: "Turn" has that 1986 college-rockin' jangle that'll make elderly R.E.M. fans tingle. For the synth- and sequencer-damaged among us, there's the electrolytic "Krafty" and the disco workout "Guilt Is A Useless Emotion." Going off on another tangent, "Workin' Overtime" is the band's simultaneous nod to '60s garage rock, the Beatles' "I Feel Fine" and that last Elvis Costello album.

The axis of mystery and implied arrogance that made New Order compelling may be gone, but that's okay; none of us is the same person we were decades ago. As far as right now goes, Waiting For The Siren's Call is a fine distillation of everything New Order have been. And when you've got a passport that's as thick as theirs, it's admirable that they refuse just to walk away from this thing entirely.spin j.p

Definitely not an "instant hit" album!
Waiting for the sirens' call will NOT hook you immediately. It's not that kind of album. There isn't any obvious hits, except Who's Joe, Krafty or Jetstream.
When I played it the first time I was kind of bored. Too many songs didn't hook me, sounded just "ok" and after Get Ready, I was disappointed.
However, days passed and I didn't play the album - didn't want to! And then, when I played it again after a week or so, out of nowhere, I started to like the songs! One by one, they PERFECTLY matched each other - carrying specific mood.

Now I think it's one of their better releases - much better than, for example, Republic and on par with Get Ready (I like that album very much).
It's incredible how this album works! If you like New Order, you'll certainly love this album. Do NOT expect to like it on the first listen! You probably won't - maybe just 3-4 songs!

This album has some ultimate NO gems and classics: Who's Joe?, Waiting for the siren's call, Dracula's Castle, Turn. They are magnificent!

There are no fillers here, excet that I don't like "I told you so" that much - interesting, but not my cup of tea, and "Guilt is a useless emotion" has some kind of generic chorus. That's a shame, considering that the song starts extremely well! Just the chorus isn't that memorable. But great for a summer fun! :)

All in all, a very very solid effort. As the time goes by, I expect that I'll like this album even more. It's THAT kind of a record. So refreshing these days - I'm fed up of instant hits that I get bored with after few weeks/months.

Just another perfect album!
At first listen I did not like Waiting For the Siren's Call as much as New Order's last album Get Ready. This album is just as good as Get Ready. If you want a perfect album from a great band. Pick up Waiting for the Siren's Call and Get Ready, Get Ready was the best album of 2001 in my eyes. WFTSC is going to be in the running this year.

Dear, New Order

Why havn't you toured the US other than a couple of dates. Please come to Pittsburgh.